


counsel

by The_Doom_Dahlia



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Codependency, Jewish Characters, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Tea, Unhealthy Relationships, Unrequited Love, brooke puts up with a lot, brooke's jeremy's stoner semi-therapist, it's not deeply engrained in the story but brooke does mention seeing jeremy for Shabbat services, jeremy's not doing very well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 14:03:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12170361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Doom_Dahlia/pseuds/The_Doom_Dahlia
Summary: 'this wasn't the first time she's paid witness to this strange song and dance, and she knew it wasn't going to be the last'Brooke acts as therapist to Jeremy for a moment.Meant to be part of pondify's '(boyf) riends with benefits' series.





	counsel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pondify](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pondify/gifts).



> i don't know why i wrote this but it's done

In the very base of his heart, Jeremy knows that Brooke means well. Even after everything he did to her, she still cares about his safety and happiness. Something glows inside her, brighter than moonlight, a tenderness and warmth that shields her from the cold darkness of the world. Well, most of the time it did.

This was not one of those times.

“It’s not like I should listen to you or anything.” Jeremy spits out, the words acidic and burning on his tongue. “It took you fingerfucking yourself on voice call to get with Chloe. You got into your only _working_ relationship by sheer chance.”

Brooke barely blinks, her eyes half-lidded as always, unshaken by his words. She knows that Jeremy gets cruel when it comes to his relationship with Michael and knows that, when angry, he had no qualms about hauling forth the echoes of bitterness from her past relationships. She’s been dealing with the fallout of his ‘relationship’ with Michael for the past few years, the whole mess beginning after high school. She’d become the pillow Jeremy screamed his rage and sorrow into, and was simply used to it by now.

Which is why she was in Michael and Jeremy’s apartment, curled in an armchair with a small joint in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. This was the fifth time in two months that she’d been called to this strange form of service, and she knew why. Michael was in love with Rich, their mutual friend. Brooke might be sleepy-eyed and gently dazed, but she wasn’t blind and she wasn’t stupid. She could see that Michael was in love and broken hearted, and that Jeremy was angry about the whole situation. He simply couldn’t get over it.

This wasn’t the first time she’s paid witness to this strange song and dance, and she knew it wasn’t going to be the last.

“Right.” she nodded, and took another long drag from her joint. “But let’s be honest here, Jeremy-” she began, and the smoke poured in long, winding columns from between her pale lips. “I’m not the one you’re angry with. Michael’s not the one you’re angry with. Rich’s not even the one you’re angry with. You’re only angry with yourself, for loving someone you don’t have, someone you _can’t_ have.”

“I **do** have him!”

“Yes you do, but not in the way you want him. You want to hold him by the heart, not by the balls.”

“You’re not clever, Brooklyn.”

“No, but I’m not dumb either. Listen, Jerry.” she said, slowly beginning to sit up and snuff out her joint. Jerry had become Jeremy’s nickname after they’d patched things up. “The way I understand things, you have two options. One, tell Michael how you feel and deal with what happens.”

The dull, barking laugh he responded with made her skip to the second option.

“Or, two: keep festering in this hole you’ve made for yourself. This relationship you and Michael have, as of now, isn’t healthy. You treat him like he’s a toy to you. A well loved toy, yeah, but a toy no one else can touch without you getting angry. You’re too possessive over him. People aren’t objects, Jeremy. You can’t make Michael love you, and if anything, if you keep this up, he’ll grow to resent you. That doesn’t mean you can’t fix things though. People can change.” she insisted.

“I don’t need you telling me how to live my life.”

“You’ve been saying that for the last four years, Jeremy.” she said softly. “Four years of this, and that’s just what you’ve been calling me in for. How long have you loved him and refused to let him go?”

Jeremy got very quiet, fists clenching and unclenching. “Could you just leave? I need to think and Michael’s coming back soon.”

Brooke stood, skirt fluttering in the slight breeze from the nearby window, finishing her tea and washing the cup before crossing back over to Jeremy. “Call me if you need me. I’ll see you on Shabbat.” she said, and patted his shoulder lightly before crossing out of the apartment. She reached for her phone, to call Chloe and tell her that she’d be home for dinner soon, when Michael came up the hall.

“Hey, Brooke! We still on for the Pride march next week?” he asked, giving her a quick hug and a wide, brimming smile. The two had a special bond of their own, what they called ‘sapphic-achillean solidarity’. They loved one another like siblings, and would tell each other everything.

Almost everything.

Brooke nodded, pulling back and making eye contact. She had a strange pity in her eyes, and the corners of her smile twitched downwards. It looked like a secret was eating her up inside, something she couldn’t tell a soul lest it bring down some cosmic house of cards. But, she hid it away and hugged him again. “Good seeing you. I’ll see you next week.” she told him, and quickly left.

Michael stood in the hallway, staring at the back of his friend as her yellow cardigan disappeared into the grey of the stairwell, and wondered what on Earth was trying to swallow her whole inside. 

Finally he shrugged and crossed into the apartment where Jeremy sat waiting for him as always, like a lighthouse at the end of an immense storm.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, have a lovely day

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [she said that i don't look like me no more](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12340362) by [pondify](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pondify/pseuds/pondify)




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